Automaton Queen Targeting

[Fuyuko]

Can there be some skill of sorts for the Automaton Queen where we can make it change to the target we're targeting?

It's really unfurating when it's just standing around or does no damage, as an example:

In Eden 4 savage with the 2 lower platforms and 2 higher platforms and the two healer goals it's possible for the Automaton Queen to target the gaol on the other side of you rather than the one beside you or the boss which causes it to try and reach the other gaol but it can't as it obviously can't jump up there nor change target to the boss which it CAN hit from there but it can't do that either so it just.. stands around and does nothing.

Another example would be in Hades extreme with the two adds that change between fire and ice, the Automaton Queen is affected by this as well but it can't change targets so it'll just do no damage whatsoever.

[Valence]

I agree targeting is a problem for Queen, but it doesn't stop there. Stuff like the terrain itself morphing like Uplifts in Titan savage mess up with Queen hardcore. When you get punted upwards, queen disappears and only reappears when you get back on the ground. Queen also can completely glitch when being summoned on the platform going up while you stay down (since she gets summoned just next to you). Queen can also glitch when trying to go down a platform.

All of this can result in hits being totally skipped or missed, and sometimes she doesn't even pile bunker. This is an annoyance and forces good players to actually summon the pet only outside of those mechanics.

[zonol]

Can queen get a aoe mode like we use to have with bishop? Also can we fix that summon animation with the timer and targeting?

[Fuyuko]

The summon animation isn't an issue, the duration of the animation of it being summoned is taken into account for its total duration.

[InfiniDragon]

The summon animation isn't an issue, the duration of the animation of it being summoned is taken into account for its total duration.

Yep, it's just like Living Shadow in that it's tuned around that starting timer. They'd weaken the skills if they started instantly to lead to the same potency, so changing the startup doesn't really help.

[Vendalwind]

Queen isnt the only one with this problem, bunshin acts similarily in hades actually where using it on one makes it do no damage when the switch occurs.

Personally i dont mind things such as that tho because it encourages fight specific planning. Its like planning for melee uptime or caster movement etc. Its a skill with a prolonged duration that relies on other external factors remaining unchanged to use properly. Fine tuned machine for the machinist i guess? But my point is some of what OP states above i dont see as a problem, but as part of learning to use the skill properly. And learning the skills limitations. IE using queen too late in the fire ice add phase of hades is on you to be aware of as you need to be aware of the debuff intricacies. Its like a dot in that sense. When one enemy becomes invulnerable you cant just magically regain the lost potency of the dropped dot by switching it onto the other enemy.

Uplifts i think of similarily. I dont want to use tcj right before uplifts or any knockback or i lose my skill. Likewise for machinist you dont want to use queen right before uplifts cause your connection to your automaton is severed similarily.

However the targetting is a real issue for sure. With bunshin it goes where i want it. Fray, as queen is, becomes likewise unpredictable with multi targets and this is irritating for sure. You should be able to hit what you want with your skills. This may have a deeper underlying problem with how tab targeting works in that being in too close to the center of a boss sometimes disables tab targetting. And not being able to git the right gaol is definately an issue. But again if you think of queen or fray as dots its a similar limitation. The significant difference being that dots always attack what you target on use, but queen may not.

As a final thought tho scholars and summoner also dont have consistent easy control anymore over where their summon/fairy auto-attacks or heals. And in a way thats a built in part of knowing how to play the class. Knowing where and when to place and use pet entities.

Please dont read this as a 'git gud' post tho. Its entirely opinion. Some people like skills that take real planning to optimize, and some people like simpler things. And if i was maining machinist i definitely dont think id want to have summoner problems.

EDIT: It also kinda depends on your fantasy too. If you play MCH to be a gunslinger well pet automaton policing probably doesn't appeal to you. But if you play MCH with a turret engineer in mind, then having to know how and when to properly place your tools and machines is more likely your fantasy playstyle.